Believe it or not, Wolfbrigade are coming up on 30 years of unleashing their brand of filth and wanton destruction on the earth. For whatever reason this just comes as a complete shock to me because… I dunno, how was this allowed to happen?! I mean, sure, I know this is hardly the only example of crusty-ass Hardcore Punk to somehow stand the test of time – Disfear, Skitsystem, Zeke and plenty of others to emerge in the mid-90’s (or even earlier) all still exist to some extent. But it seems like the kind of thing that, at some point somebody would say “no, this can’t be allowed to go on,” right? And yet, they’re like some weird, unkillable bacteria hiding in the darkest, most inhospitable recesses of existence, just waiting for the right time to reemerge and reek havoc over humankind all over again.

If this all sounds like I’m trying to disparage Wolfbrigade or any of their colleagues, please let me clarify: I fucking love this shit. I will gladly get down in the mud and blood and puss with these maniacs any day. I am so fucking pumped for this.

If you’re looking for any signs of slowing down from these scene veterans, fear not. The slow decay of time has yet to really leave any noticeable marks on these heathens, and as has been true with virtually every new release, ain’t a whole lot of change happening. Crunchy, HM-2 drenched riffage with frenetic D Beats? Yeah, of course it’s all still here. Micke Dahl’s seething, no-nonsense bark raining terror and venom? HELL YEAH, DUDE. Still here, still ready to look you straight in the eye and snatch the soul right from your body.

Right from the get-go the band’s intent is put on full display, with “Ways to Die” bursting out your headphones at full-throttle speed. The sweet doomy melody over the song’s chorus is a nice, spooky little addition to the track that sets an eerie, menacing tone over the chaotic D-Beat backbone, and the killer bridge and lead on the track’s back half really kick this thing off on the proper level of intensity. Which, as I’m sure you expect, carries right on to follow up “Disarm or Be Destroyed,” featuring another barrage of thrashy riffs and a nice 2-step breakdown that should all do plenty to get anyone moving in short order.

“Life Knife Death” does offer a sort-of reprieve from the relentless assault, bringing down the pace just a tick or two to allow you to regroup a bit and catch your breath. That said, it’s no less scathing a track, with catchy-as-all-fuck riffs that still crunch like a frozen Butterfinger the day after Halloween, and just as likely to break a few of your teeth if you’re not careful. “Skinchanger” and “Nail Bomb” take similarly slower approaches, causing no less destruction than any of the more neck-snapping tracks, but hitting with the deliberate intent of a bulldozer. Frankly, without these changes in pace it would be easy for this album to sound overly one-dimensional, so good on Wolfbrigade for showcasing total control and versatility with their songwriting.

But it’s the full-on fuckery we’re all really here for, right? The charmingly titled “A Day in the Life of an Arse” is every bit as fun and unhinged as it should be, mashing the gas pedal to the floor and letting go of the wheel to let whatever happens happen. And what more can you really expect from a track called “Your God is a Corpse”? The answer is obviously a quick burst of pure speed and thrash riffs ripping faces. No nonsense, no frills, just full on blitzkrieg fury delivered by veterans who know their way around their craft.

Wolfbrigade know who they are, they know exactly what you want from them, and they’re more happy to deliver the goods once again in spades. These legends are still on top of their game, and if you haven’t gotten the hell out of their way yet there’s no reason to hop off this mad ride now.

[Visit the band's website]

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